Your Liver is the Key to a Healthy Future

Since ancient times the Liver has been seen as a way of foretelling the future.  The Babylonians examined the Livers of animals killed for sacrifice, so too did the Etruscans and Romans. The Liver was considered the source of the blood and hence the basis of life itself. Its condition was seen as being the key to the animal’s overall health as well as a way of divining the future.

Often ancient rites can teach us something that is still very relevant today. Your future health depends on the health of your Liver so:

• How healthy your Liver is right now?
• How can you have a Healthy Liver and a Healthy Life now, and in the future?

So what does your Liver actually do?

Blood flows to your Liver from your stomach and intestines carrying with it the nutrients it has absorbed from digestion.

Here briefly, are some of the over 500 different functions your Liver performs:

• Processes nutrients in your blood converting them into energy
• Regulates the amount of Glucose (for energy), in your blood, storing some of the excess for later use.
• Stores Iron, Vitamins, Glucose, many other chemicals and Blood too.
• Stores waste products until it can safely release them into your bloodstream for removal by your kidneys.
• Regulates the levels of important nutrients in your blood i.e. Amino Acids, Vitamins, Fats, Enzymes, Hormones
• Destroys bacterial and viral infections
• Breaks down drugs and toxins
• Produces bile and stores it in the Gall Bladder. Bile is used by your Liver to rid itself of toxic material and is discharged into your Small Intestine to help you digest fats.
• Produces hormones, including sex hormones – and breaks down used ones
• Manufactures enzymes and proteins, vital for many biochemical reactions like blood clotting and repair of any damage to your body

Detoxification – what does it really mean?

Your Liver is unique in that it literally saves you from toxic overload. Modern diet and lifestyle have led us to often make poor choices in what we eat and drink. Too much alcohol, caffeine and sugar are the top three culprits. Add to these trans-fats from packaged and fast foods, together with poor quality tap water (which is actually dehydrating – due to it’s chemical content). Even if you eat very healthily, you are still living in a polluted environment if you live in Sydney, and making sure that your diet is really as toxin free as possible is not such an easy task. Your Liver takes care of most of this for you, automatically without you being aware of it.  However, if it is constantly forced to deal with a toxic burden it becomes less efficient at managing those toxins and less efficient in managing all it’s other functions as well. Your Liver will store toxic waste, if releasing it into your bloodstream, for eventual removal by your kidneys, will prevent other vital processes, and cause you to feel very ill. It suffers much punishment before it starts to show signs of strain.

What are the benefits of knowing whether your liver is detoxifying properly?

These toxins cause your liver to become sluggish and this can be a major reason for Chronic Allergy Symptoms, Chronic Bloating, Chronic Constipation, Irritability, Low Energy, Poor Skin Health, and they may possibly lead to more serious health issues if not addressed.

So how do you make sure your Liver is working efficiently?

Standard Liver function tests from the doctor tell you how much acute and chronic cell damage has occurred BUT these tests do not tell you anything about how efficiently your liver is performing its critical detoxification processes. However, there is a very specific test (not  normally offered by doctors), which can spell out how efficiently your Liver is cleaning your blood and how well it is then removing the accumulated waste.

Mr Vitamins Naturopath Peter Radi

Peter Radi, from the team of Mr Vitamins’ Naturopaths, has particular interest in this important area of health and has furthered his Naturopathic studies to specialise in the Liver. He is a fully trained expert in interpreting this special liver detoxification test. Peter can arrange for you to have this test (no blood test is necessary), and he will interpret with you what the results mean.  More importantly, Peter will advise you on the best methods to improve your health – based on these test results and his other Naturopathic diagnostic skills.

What can you do if your Liver is not detoxifying well?

Particular herbal medicines, vitamins and amino acids assist in specific ways to speed up Liver cell regeneration and help your Liver "self clean" by enhancing detoxification processes. Peter can assess which ones you need, and draw up a program for you to follow.  As well as prescribing specific supplements he will make some dietary recommendations to help the process and enhance your future health. Your Liver is the only organ in your body capable of significant regeneration and so this is one area where you will see tangible health benefits quite quickly. Knowing your Liver is healthy, or learning how to get it on track to be healthy, will give you peace of mind and confidence that your body is able to effectively deal with the modern day toxic load we are all exposed to and that you are doing the very best for your health in the future. Book an appointment with Peter Radi and he can get a thorough Liver Function Assessment underway for you. With health as with any aspect of life – knowledge is power. Peter is available for consultations at the Mr Vitamins store. Learn more about Naturopath Peter Radi here